Fan City.
The Emergency Department of Fan City First Hospital.
Wu Ting had just finished a debridement and was about to take a short break.
Just then, he overheard Gao Shuang, a resident from the internal medicine group, chatting with the doctors around him.
Gao Shuang was a few years older than Wu Ting and already a permanent staff doctor at City First Hospital.
"My mentor said the hospital is planning to select a group of outstanding residents for permanent positions this time. The ER's internal medicine and surgery groups each have one spot. I wonder who'll end up staying."
Gao Shuang's graduate school mentor was an attending physician in the Cardiology Department at the City Hospital, so the news he shared was undoubtedly true.
Honestly, it was impossible for Wu Ting not to covet such an opportunity. But all he could do was think about it.
After all, in this batch of ER residents, the surgery group alone had ten people. Several of them were university graduates, or even postgraduates, and quite a few had SCI-indexed papers to their name.
Wu Ting was just an undergraduate from a second-rate university. On top of that, he was a "societal resident," so how could he dare to even dream of it?
He had only been resting for a moment when a senior resident from his group, Luo Ming, rushed over to him.
"Wu Ting, come here. We have a burn patient who needs debridement. Come and help me with it."
In his two-plus years as a resident, Wu Ting had developed very solid fundamental surgical skills. He was proficient in pre-op prep, debridement, and suturing, making him a highly valued assistant—a reliable "go-to guy"—for the other residents.
Wu Ting naturally hurried over. That was just how the ER was; you never knew what kind of patient you'd see next.
Soon, Dr. Luo briefed Wu Ting on the patient's condition:
"The patient is a moderately popular embroidery video blogger. She was too focused during a livestream and accidentally knocked over an incense burner, which ignited the embroidery cloth next to her. This resulted in burns on her arms and body..."
"...The patient is 21 years old. Time of burn: less than two hours. Preliminary diagnosis: superficial second-degree burns. Burn area: less than or equal to 6%. No shock, patient is conscious and lucid... Vitals are stable. Cause of injury: thermal burn. Patient has no cognitive impairment..."
"Treatment plan: Early burn debridement. Irrigate and disinfect the burn wound..."
For a routine burn patient like this, Luo Ming, as a senior resident, quickly devised a standard treatment plan. Following his instructions, Wu Ting immediately got to work.
Establishing an IV line, monitoring vital signs, administering oxygen...
Next came irrigating and disinfecting the burn wound.
During this process, Luo Ming, who was standing by, made a point to add:
"Wu Ting, this patient's condition is a perfect fit for Director Huo's new research project: 'The Effect of 15°C Antiseptic Solution on Pain Reduction During Wound Debridement in Patients with Superficial Second-Degree Burns.' So, you'll also need to complete a Visual Analog Scale for pain, or VAS, assessing the patient's pain level before, during, and after wound irrigation."
"Afterward, just compile the data and submit it to Cheng Feng."
Cheng Feng was the personal graduate student of the ER's chief, Director Huo. He had been put in charge of this project. Once enough clinical data was collected and the paper was published, it would undoubtedly be an SCI-indexed article, with Cheng Feng as the undisputed first author.
Moreover, the plan was to later apply for funding for this project, develop related Surgical Techniques, and even submit it for awards. It was a surefire ladder to success.
It had to be said that in the ER of City First Hospital, a young person favored by Huo Yun was guaranteed a boundless future, given the ample resources and a clearly laid-out career path.
In his two-plus years of residency, Wu Ting had been diligent and had developed solid clinical fundamentals. He had a good personality and was a decent person overall.
However, when it came to academic credentials and publications, Wu Ting was clearly a step below.
At this thought, Luo Ming couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Having Director Huo's protection really made a difference. They were both residents, yet Wu Ting worked himself to the bone while Cheng Feng reaped all the rewards.
Wu Ting, however, had long grown used to this.
He had already performed several debridements before this, all of which were just paving the way for Cheng Feng. But at City First Hospital, if you had no connections and no powerful backer, what were you but a beast of burden?
"Dr. Luo, I understand. I've already assisted with several cases for this project. Once I'm done with the statistics and comparison, I'll submit the complete data to Cheng Feng."
Wu Ting had always been proper, diligent, and good-natured.
Seeing Wu Ting's resigned acceptance, Luo Ming felt a pang of sympathy and thought to himself:
'You have a good attitude, at least. But it doesn't matter how much work you do; Director Huo will never see it.'
As Wu Ting was irrigating the wound with a 0.1% chlorhexidine acetate solution, an electronic voice suddenly sounded in his mind:
[DING! DETECTED THAT HOST POSSESSES A STABLE AND CALM MENTALITY. GREAT DOCTOR SYSTEM ACTIVATING...]
[BINDING TO HOST... BINDING SUCCESSFUL!]
[GREAT DOCTOR SYSTEM: AS LONG AS THE HOST COMPLETES VARIOUS MEDICAL SCENARIOS, YOU WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO OBTAIN TRAIT REWARDS OF DIFFERENT TIERS FROM PATIENTS AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL.]
[HOST HAS COMPLETED ONE DEBRIDEMENT WITH DR. LUO MING.]
[OBTAINED TRAIT FROM SUPERIOR PHYSICIAN LUO MING: DILIGENT OLD OX (WHITE). GRANTS THE EXPERIENCE AND CASE KNOWLEDGE DR. LUO MING HAS ACCUMULATED OVER HIS YEARS IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.]
[OBTAINED TRAIT FROM PATIENT XUE XIANG: NIMBLE FINGERS (WHITE). GRANTS THE DEXTERITY OF THE EMBROIDERER XUE XIANG, ALLOWING EFFORTLESS CONTROL OVER NEEDLE AND THREAD, INCLUDING STRAIGHT STITCHES, COILS, FIXING, COMBINING, NEEDLE GRASPING, ETC...]
[OBTAINED TRAIT FROM PATIENT XUE XIANG: ART STUDENT'S AESTHETIC (WHITE). GRANTS THE AESTHETIC SENSE OF THE ART STUDENT XUE XIANG.]
[TRAIT SYNTHESIS RECOMMENDATION: ART STUDENT'S AESTHETIC (WHITE) + BASIC SUTURING SKILL (WHITE) + NIMBLE FINGERS (WHITE) = COSMETIC-GRADE SUTURING SKILL (YELLOW)]
[HOST, DO YOU WISH TO SYNTHESIZE?]
Although Wu Ting hadn't yet figured out the system's rules, he still chose to synthesize.
[CONGRATULATIONS, HOST, ON OBTAINING A NEW TRAIT: COSMETIC-GRADE SUTURING SKILL (YELLOW). AN ADVANCED TECHNIQUE THAT BALANCES BOTH AESTHETICS AND HEALING. WITH THIS SUTURING SKILL, YOU CAN SECURE A FIRM FOOTHOLD IN ANY SURGICAL DEPARTMENT, ESPECIALLY HAND SURGERY!]
With the empowerment of the new traits, a flood of complex knowledge appeared in Wu Ting's mind. It wasn't just the formidable Cosmetic-Grade Suturing Skill (Yellow); even Luo Ming's Diligent Old Ox (White) trait was immensely beneficial.
After all, medicine is a profession that heavily relies on seniority and experience. As a frontline resident in the ER of City First Hospital, Luo Ming was naturally very knowledgeable. Now, all of that accumulated experience had been absorbed by Wu Ting.
Looking at the patient before him again, Wu Ting had a newfound understanding and perspective.
Suppressing the joy in his heart, Wu Ting adjusted his mindset and continued with the finishing touches.
In that moment, a new confidence gleamed in his eyes. 'With the system, I can actually compete for the permanent resident spot this time!'
Soon, Wu Ting and Luo Ming finished treating Xue Xiang.
It was also time for the shift change. Wu Ting said his goodbyes, ready to go home and properly digest the changes brought by his new traits.